my placenta encapsulation

There were a few things we knew we wanted and could have at least a little bit of control over when we found out we were pregnant with twins:
1. We wanted to keep their genders and names a secret until they were born
2. I would try my best to find a way to keep my anxiety low
3. I would also do my best to breastfeed two kids at one time without driving myself crazy or feeling obligated about it.

Most people that have read along here know I had severe anxiety from the very beginning of this pregnancy. I wouldn’t wish those feelings onto anyone and they stayed pretty strong throughout the first trimester. I would go from feeling completely fine to instantly not being able to breath, crying, throwing up, and it was terrifying. I was lucky Andrew was able to rush home almost always just to check on me but I wanted to have more control by the time the babies were here. And I knew that if you suffered from anxiety and depression while pregnant, there was a much higher chance for depression afterward which I reeeally am trying to avoid as best I can (one week out, so far so good!)

So after looking into healthy, safe, and natural ways to help my body get through this next chapter, I found that I really loved the idea of having my placenta encapsulated. Have you heard of this before? Do you know someone that has had it done? Does it freak you out a little bit? I totally get it. It is wild to say the least but here is a little run down of my experience so far!

It’s been in our plan for months and even though the end of our pregnancy didn’t go as expected or hoped (more on that crazy story later) my placenta was able to be taken home with us and didn’t need any further testing once the twins were born. Basically, when we were discharged a few days ago, my placenta went from sitting in a freezer at the hospital to sitting on my lap while I was in my wheelchair... in one of those giant plastic buckets like you buy cheap ice cream in. It was heavy, kind of hilarious, and made me proud just holding it!

After looking into several recommendations from people and of course being mindful of prices, we went with Lauren Wales from Luminous Bodywork and I can't say enough good things about her. She showed up at our house and let me sleep, took the time to answer my questions, and even took a few photos of my heart-shaped placenta that made me cry. I’m hesitant on sharing photos of the process since they’re a little graphic but when I walked into our kitchen and saw her working away, I couldn't help but stare in amazement! There it was in all of its glory! I asked Andrew to come in and watch a few minutes of the process. Bless his heart he’s the best sport ever.

It was simple enough to watch; our doula boiled down water, lemon, and ginger and after my placenta resembled what i can best describe as a pot roast, she left it overnight in a dehydrator on our kitchen counter. She returned the next day, ground up my placenta, and encapsulated the powder. It was one of the neatest processes to watch and knowing it came straight from my body and was going to help my babies and myself made it even better. She even had some salve and lotion made from it too for skin and scar issues later. She left me with well over 200 pills, a salve, and tincture at a price of $250. 

It’s common around the world for different people to eat and ingest their placentas and it’s supposed to be very helpful with milk supply (since my twins were born early, I need all of the help i can get) and even help with energy and depression. I’ll be taking 2 pills 3 times a day for the first two weeks and then tapering down to 1 pill 3 times a day after that. Lauren even said if you find yourself making an abundance of milk, you can take less pills. An abundance would be the best thing ever considering our twins are in NICU currently and I’m so hopeful that my placenta will help me to give our babies the best mama I can be. Thank you again to Lauren from Luminous Bodywork for doing this for us. I’ll report back in a few weeks to share my experience!

*ok, I know I said I would report back in a few weeks, but I have to shout from the rooftops really quickly how happy I already am for doing this. I was getting 1-3mL each pump and was feeling very discouraged already. I was dragging my feet at this process because I have zero patience and it wasn't going how I thought it would. But yesterday was the first day I took an entire day's worth of pills (6 pills) and last night I pumped 50mL in 15 minutes. I cried. I ran around the house with an extra pep in my step. I can't stop staring at it in the fridge and I can't wait to take it up to the NICU later toady for the babies!! I don't expect to make that kind of milky magic every time, but just seeing it finally happen and knowing my body is working was worth every single penny for my pills. 

click here to get in touch with Lauren and to start your own encapsulating process!